Who wins the battle between Eli Manning and New England's secondary?

David Brown covers the Patriots for The Standard-Times and Kevin Gleason covers the Giants for the Times Herald-Record of Middletown, N.Y.

David Brown covers the Patriots for The Standard-Times and Kevin Gleason covers the Giants for the Times Herald-Record of Middletown, N.Y.

Hey, Eli Manning, remember when you weren't awesome at football? Like, a month ago? Well, the Patriots do. They remember when Ellis Hobbs punished you for that underthrown ball to Plaxico Burress. And they remember celebrating a perfect regular season that technically began and ended on your field. But don't worry. Because you're awesome at football now. And even in Week 17 you had your best passer rating of the season (118.6) and threw for 251 yards. And you're going to Paxico, a virtual sequoia lined up one-on-one against the undersized Hobbs. And this time, you're going to make an accurate throw. Right?

Eli Manning's turnaround began with the Patriots game. He was almost flawless in passing for 251 yards and four touchdowns, his one slip Ellis Hobbs' interception. Manning hasn't turned over the ball since, so it stands to reason that he can have another big game against the New England secondary. The best bet in the game is that Bill Belichick will give Manning far different looks this time around. But Manning has found a level of expertise that should continue on Sunday. And offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride finally has found the conservative formula that helps Manning instead of hindering him.